The theory of gerotranscendence, a developmental theory of positive aging was proposed by Lars Tornstam in 1989. It was based on the empirical researches done by him in late 1970s and early 1980s and work of other theorists. Tornstam began to explore aging with a phenomenological qualitative approach. Tornstam’s earlier work on aging revealed that aging is a natural developmental process towards maturity and wisdom.

To understand the ageing phenomena in terms of growth through cosmic and transcendent means.

Try to present a purely positive prospect on aging to a certain group of people experiencing a change during aging and provide an explanation for the miserable experiences in later life.

We have searched case reports, case series, cohorts and prospective studies, cross sectional data, review articles and research articles from search engines like PubMed, Medline and Google scholar.

The theory of gerotranscendence found that transcendent signs in old provide an interpretative framework to accept these signs as part of normal aging. It helps in development of a positive attitude in approaching older people.

The theory of gerotranscendence presents a positive view on aging. Tornstam has supported his perspective with various qualitative and quantitative research studies. The theory has also been adopted by many scholars and applied in a number of contexts. However, there is a need to further explore this theory in old age people suffering from depression and identify ways to promote gerotranscendence in them.